I'm a sucker for ethical ecotourism, and this place was amazing! I did the sunrise viewing, which is when the bats go back to the cave. There was a great number of volunteers who helped us check in, show us where to park, and also answered questions about the bats. I saw so many!!! Hoping to come back and do the sunset viewing :) read more

This is fantastic! Such a FUN experience. Total WOW factor. I had no idea it was the largest population of bats in the WORLD! Larger than Carlsbad Caverns! This warm cave is where pregnant bats come to give birth every year. Apparently there are more mammals here in one location other than humans in Tokyo! The facts you learn are just so educational and neat and they even tell you about the critters that come to the show to try to get a bite/bat to eat (skunks, raccoons, hawks, snakes, hogs, possums). It's just so neat to see the circle of life take place. The sound is like rushing water and it's as soothing as it is awe-inspiring. Such a neat thing to see and just in our backyard! This is definitely something to see and even learn about how the settlers would mine the guano and send it to Landa Park in New Braunfels to make gun powder. Who knew? Reconnect with nature and enjoy this amazing site- just bring plenty of water and bug spray. read more

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We went to the morning time to watch the bats return to the cave after they were out hunting during the night. The guides were attentive in making sure everyone was safe and also passed around night vision binoculars to allow people to watch the bats before the sun came up. They also did a "bat walk" to share facts about the bats and answer questions, even though they reported this is normally only in the evening tour, and led a walk to the nearby mine shaft after the bats had finished arriving in the cave. If going to the morning time slot, I would definitely recommend getting a hotel nearby the night before unless you live close by, as the gate for the morning time opens around 5:30am and closes at 6am. I also recommend getting tickets well in advance, as the evening times seem to fill up, at least for weekends. We look forward to trying the evening viewing time next year. read more

The enormous colony of Mexican freetail bats im the Bracken bat cave is a wonder of nature, and it's just a short drive from San Antonio. Watching millions of bats leave the cave at sunset to go feast on bugs is an unforgettable sight. The key to viewing the bat flight is Bat Conservation International. They manage the nature preserve around the cave, guide visitors to the cave mouth, and give an educational presentation before the bat flight. No drop ins. Go to their website to join and sign up for a tour--but they fill fast. We were lucky to go with a group of Briscoe Western Art Museum members. Tips for your visit. Bring water. Keep snacks in your car for before and after the tour. Be prepared for the heat--we were lucky that it cooled down from 96 to 88 during our visit. Bring a book or something to fidget with while you are waiting for the bats to emerge; there will be some downtime between the educational lecture, when you walk to the viewing area, and when the bats actually fly. Be ready to be amazed at nature and the special role of bats. read more

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FIRST TIME VISIT! THE DEAL: I have always been fascinated with bats and decided it was time I saw them in their natural habitat. I went online to BCI's website to look up viewing dates. It costs $30 per person but if you pay $60 to join their annual membership club, you get 6 passes to one date. I happily join the club and 5 of us head out to a warm evening of bat-watching. We went at the very end of July since that is when the millions of babies begin to take flight with their mommies. GETTING THERE: if you're familiar with the Natural Bridge Caverns, BCI's discreet driveway is just a hop away from the NBC's entryway. Be sure to look for a small sign placed outside! Once you drive beyond the gate and up the dirt road, we were greeted with a volunteer who checked us off a list and were told to drive further up the road to the Pavilion. THE EXPERIENCE: A ways up the road, we find more volunteers who ask us to park and sit at the pavilion for a Bat Talk given by a docent. So fascinating! We learned about the Bracken Cave which houses the bats we would later see, the history of the property and what conservationists within BCI were doing to help ensure a long future for these creatures, especially right here in Texas! Being surrounded by nature, and by these friendly BCI folks, was the perfect preface to a visual and very "batty" treat. We are directed to a viewing site which is situated above and directly in front of the mouth of a cave. We literally have front row seats! Millions of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats emerge in groups slowly, by forming a tornado-like body called a "bat-nado" allowing the bats to systematically leave the cave for a dusk time feeding. There were about 3 groups total and it's a couple of hours from beginning to end. The smell of ammonia can be rough if your nose is hypersensitive, especially when that bat-nado starts swirling air from within the cave up and out. The scene is beautiful to behold, but can be tragic for some that might fall to the rocks below. The bats have many prey and a family of omnivorous and very hungry skunks were anxiously anticipating a meal just beyond the mouth of the cave. A hawk tries picking one off midair as they flit to and fro in search of food. Beetles cover the floor of the cave and devour these winged mammals, reducing them to mere skeletons within a few short minutes! Nature is brutal, guys! But oh, so amazing. Bench seating, no food or drink available, wildlife all around, the occasional snake, too, Rocky, dusty terrain. All are welcome, but they do discourage bringing small children due to the natural landscape we are entering into. Noise is also frowned upon, even speaking can cause confusion for the bats during their ascent, so please whisper if necessary. The volunteers of BCI love what they do and it shows in how knowledgeable they are and how much they enjoy sharing what they know with the public. Kudos to them on a job well done! We were mesmerized and didn't know what to expect as the BCI website doesn't give away all of the details in photo. I'm met wait till our visit next year. Anxious to see how we can continue to help these magnificent animals. Hope you do, too! read more

Bracken Bat Cave - At the viewing site - Local Flavor Near Me - Garden Ridge, Texas

Had an amazing experience and was given great information! Definitely recommend to take the tour it if you are in town! It's a view you don't see everyday and one well worth checking out. read more

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Wow!!! If you are looking for an experience this is the place to go!!! My daughter loves bats so when I saw this place I knew we had to check it out. Believe me, I am soooo glad I did. It was something I will never forget. We ordered the tickets on line. Just type in 2023 Bracken cave preserve public bat flights and I'm sure you'll find the right site. I remember we ordered the tickets through event Brite. They are around 30 bucks apiece but again it was completely worth it. After we order the tickets, we waited a little bit and a couple of days before we got a wonderful email the totals the instructions for that night. Make sure you look out for the email. It's very helpful. We got there about 7 o'clock and then we were given an estimate of when the bats would be leaving the cave. And we were also told that they were given a class at 7:45. To waste time, we kind of walked around on a little trail that they have, we took some pictures, and we also went to see things we went to see the shaft and at the shaft they had a person there that gave us a lot of helpful information. Then we went to see the actual cave where the bats would be flying out of. What's complete with all that we went to a little covered pavilion where they gave us a lesson on the bats. There was a lot of cool information that they shared. After they educated us on the bats, we went to the viewing area and waited to the estimated time. One thing I heard was, this is the biggest M Bat colony in the world. When you see them coming out, you will believe it. I come out fast and there's a lot of them. It is really cool and I have never experienced anything like it in my life. They actually were probably about 4-5 feet from us at times. I will be going again. As soon as I can I would highly recommend you go. I am amazed that more people do not know about this place, I've heard about how Austin has bats under a bridge. But From what I understand that pales in comparison to this cave. I believe this is a gem right here near San Antonio, Texas and if you're from this area you need to visit. They mentioned that people come from all over the world to watch these bats, I completely understand why. The bats are only here in the summer, and then I believe they migrate to Mexico in the winter. When I went, there was only about 30 to 35 people in attendance and I believe that's probably about all they can hold, but it made it very nice because it wasn't crowded. If you get the opportunity, I cannot stress enough how great it is and how happy you will be that you went. However, if you don't like, birds are bats, maybe it's not a good idea lol. read more

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I bought my husband a membership to the Bat Conservation one Christmas.. it was a hit, he loved it. Members are given 2 tickets with their membership to go once a year to see the bats leaving the cave at dusk. There are so many bats that when they leave at night , it comes up on the weather radar. From what the volunteers tell me, this cave is the"maternity " cave, females and their babies. At dusk they swarm out, for babies it's definitely a sink or swim scenario as the area has snakes, hawks, and other predators. The volunteers are excellent in answering all your questions , I asked many and the volunteer just loved giving me bat information. She said the bats fly to Mexico as it start getting cold and come back pregnant in the spring ( some party in Mexico I would say!) hence it's called a maternity cave. It's well worth the membership to get a magazine that has information on bat research in different parts of the world and just a lot of interesting information. Of course you can buy tickets without the membership. read more

This was such a wonderful way to spend the sunset hours in the nature. We booked the tickets weeks in advance, hoping it won't rain. We were among the first to arrive. There is a sign at the entrance off the road, with several kind ladies making sure that we had reservations and to point us up the dirt road towards the cave. Pay attention as you drive slowly, we noticed several deers and a fox. You will be pointed at the parking row right of the dirt road across from small covered structure with chairs. That is where you'll gather at scheduled time for a brief info about the preserve, volunteers and of course bats. We where visiting in late may and at that point the cave was a home to approximately 10 millions pregnant bats (they are all females). They fly to Mexico in a winter months, have a good time, get pregnant and come back here. Middle June, the number will double due to all the babies. Once the time is right, everyone heads towards the amphitheater (as quiet as possible), finds the seat and waits for "batnado". It is quite an experience. If you have time to come earlier, take a walk to the cave exit where guano (bay poop) used to be mined for explosives. It is crazy to think it was used as money. But than if you look at a rugged Texas landscape, and the properties of guano (as an explosive and super fertilizer) I find it was incredibly creative people used natural resources. read more

This bat cave has 15 - 20 million bats. In comparison, the congress ave bridge has 3 million. That my friends, is a LOT of bats. I wasn't sure what I was in for. Bats in the hair, tons of guano, vampires, the usual. What I got instead was an education. These bats? They eat 200,000 lbs of bugs a night. That's a lot of bugs that I'm happy to see gone from our steamy Texas environment. Also, they eat those bugs that are super pesky for farmers. Double win. Bats are NOT blind. They have great eyesight! Also, they dont get caught in your hair. They wouldn't get that close. Also, they dont turn into vampires. Thank god. That one seemed really viable... If someone offers you the opportunity to visit Bracken cave, run (dont walk.) It's an incredible piece of nature that will change the way you view bats forever. Note that this is a private spot so don't try to get in here without an invite. I know it sounds fanceeeeee but I just want to help you avoid driving around like a maniac. Go to Natural Bridge Caverns up the road for other bat watching goodness. read more

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The sight of 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats spiraling heavenward in a black vortex gives the thesaurus a real workout. Spectacular? Breathtaking? Awe-inspiring? Magical? Just plain friggin' cool? Yep, it's all that and more. My wife is a member of Bat Conservation International (http://batcon.org). We've visited Bracken five times now, and it never gets old. But what really impresses us is how much work BCI has put into the property over the last few years. When we first visited the cave in 2009, we had to carry in our own lawn chairs. Eventually they lined up some big boulders to sit on, but now they have nice new benches donated by BCI members. They've also done a great job laying out trails and labeling most of the plants. Fran Hutchins, the cave's conservator, always puts on an interesting and informative educational presentation between the bat emergences. If your only exposure to bats in the wild has been in Austin, you ain't seen nothing. In fact, we finally visited the Congress Avenue bridge after our third or fourth visit to Bracken and could barely keep from giggling at the paltry display. The Bracken Bat Cave is a unique, not-to-be-missed Texas treasure. Check out the BCI website to make arrangements to visit. To the bat cave! read more

This was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life! I did the Bracken Bat Flight viewing as part of the Natural Bridge Caverns package that included a Cave Discovery Tour as well as a membership to Bat Conservation International. Driving to the cave was an adventure in and of itself! The road is unpaved gravel and if you have a low riding vehicle, you will be in for an exciting ride! The dust made it impossible to see the car in front of me, but I made it in one piece. The viewing itself brings you to this little rock outcropping overlooking the mouth of the cave. You can hear the bats "squeaking" and you can see a few of them flitting around the entrance. Our guide gave us some stats and fun facts about the bats and the cave to fill the time before the main event of the bats emerging from the cave began. It was incredible when it did! There is no real trigger or warning of when their emergence will start...it is just like a swell of a big wave that begins a slow build before it just explodes! What I can only describe as a "bat cyclone", roughly 3 million of the estimated 15-20million bats began to emerge in a spectacular flume from the cave that was non-stop for a solid 30mins! It is mind boggling the shear number of bats swarming out of the cave! After it died down, it was about 20-30mins before the 2nd wave began, and again it was a "bat tornado" that wisps into a never ending bat flume! For the 3rd wave (there are usually 5 waves in total, but usually by the 3rd you have gotten your visual fill of bats!) we took a little trail that goes behind the cave where you witness the bats seemingly coming out of the ground and swarming directly overhead...it was an overwhelmingly beautiful experience to be sure! Our wildlife viewing was not limited to only bats...we saw a couple of snakes, some hawks, an owl, and some creepy crawlies which included spiders. You are warned about keeping vigilant for these bat predators before you head out to the cave, but the warnings are definitely valid and should be heeded. Needless to say, I was awe-inspired to have witnessed such a spectacle of nature! Seeing the largest known bat colony in the world emerge from a hole in the ground with your own eyes is an experience of a lifetime, but to put the enormity into perspective; our guide told us that the amount of bats creates such a dense cloud that it is actually visible on Doppler radar! So, sorry Congress Street Bridge Bats, but the Bracken Bat Cave is definitely the Wayne Manor of the bat world! read more

Oh man, I wish I could rate this as many stars as there were bats flying out of the cave. It is so fuckin' amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was trying to refrain from profanity, but holy shit... it is not possible because calling it "amazing" or "awesome"...even with the addition of the usual superlatives and endless exclamation points just doesn't cut it. Seriously, dudes, if you are ever in the San Antonio area and you don't make this a thing you experience in your life, you are basically batshit foolish. read more

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In a word, amazing! This was literally one of the coolest, most amazing things I've ever seen. Bar none. The pics here on yelp don't do it justice. 20 million Mexican freetail bats emerging from the cave in swirling waves. Them passing within feet over your head. The predators hanging around to catch a meal from the bats that land on the ground, or the unlucky ones in the air that fall prey to the raptors. And the amazing Bat Conservation International staff that seem to know literally everything about the bats. These small animals are so important to our agriculture and ecosystem, and yet so misunderstood and ignored. Bracken Cave is for BCI members and guests only. But joining BCI is well worth it. I encourage you to join and then take a trip to the cave to see this amazing event. You will not be disappointed! read more

WOW!!! That's about it. Couldn't have picked a better evening to head out for some bat watching! Those cooler-as-the-sun-sets days arrived in Satx, and that made for a truly amazing bat flight. As the first couple of lone bats emerged from the cave, only to be grabbed by red tail hawks waiting nearby, I thought maybe this was a mistake....but, this particular area is pretty much a nature reserve, so things are tough for those little bat creatures! There are about 20 million in this colony, minus two after the slaughter! Then things really started happening in the bat cave, and we were treated to an exodus of little Mexican Freetail bats for about two hours til we couldn't see them....but even still, they would be exiting for another couple of hours! I have to say it was a near spiritual experience watching and listening while surrounded by a beautiful sunset and temps in the low 70s. Note: you need reservations...go online to Braken Bat Cave, Bat Conservation International. This place is just north of Satx... short drive to an incredible site! read more

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This organization does a great service for the environment and the community. My family had the opportunity to go to a major feeding this past weekend in august. Millions of bats underground and coming out to feed is a sight for everyone to see. The recently put a nice shaded area to wait as you pull in. There is a little bit of a hike but when you get to the area of the vats, they provide refreshments. The guides and the people are passionate about the bats and the ecosystem. We enjoyed seeing all the bats fly out and were able to watch for nearly an hour. Consider joining with a membership to receive the benefits! read more

Bracken Bat Cave should be at the top of your list of things to do in Texas. Do it before you do anything else! Seriously the minute your feet touch Texas soil you need to head to this place (assuming it is April-October). Bracken Bat Cave is the only place in the world where you can see one of "Earths Most Amazing Natural Sights" and it is right here in S. Central Texas. You can purchase tickets online or in person at Natural Bridge Caverns. This is also where you are given a brief introduction to what you will be doing and things to do and not to do. After that you caravan to the fenced off area where the cave is located. The road is not paved so your car will get dusty, deal with it. A dusty car is a small price to pay to witness what comes next. Once there you are given the history of the cave and how it was actually guarded during the Civil War but hey don't want to ruin it for you so that's all I am going to say about that. You will do a half mile hike to the seating area outside the cave. It is an easy hike and one that I believe most people could do even if you have some mobility issues. They have plenty of seating available but I chose to sit on the rocks and I am ever so glad I did. There are also areas where you can stand and they will literally fly over you in every direction. I felt as if I were standing in the middle of one of National Geographic's animal migration films. It is one of those experiences that should you live to be 100 you will still be talking about as if you just experienced it. You are literally surrounded by millions of these tiny little winged mammals. I'm not particularly fond of these little insect eating machine so I went halfhearted. I was thinking it would be something funky and different to do not understanding just how magnificent this experience would be. I dislike making this comparison but as an Austinite I have to go there, this blows the Congress Ave. bridge night flight out of the water! The difference between these two bat flights would equate to the difference between a pee wee league flag football game and an NFL game or the local elementary school play verses opening night on Broadway, get the point? Go pay your 25 bucks to witness one of natures most spectacular shows and then send me a private message to thank me for telling you your a complete imbecile if you do not see this before they close down in October (and may never open up to the public again)! It is really that good folks. read more

This is one of the most fantastic experiences ever...being able to see millions of bats emerge from the Bracken Bat Cave! -This is the largest collection of mammals in the world. It took a while to find how we could see this. The Bracken Bat Cave and the property itself is owned by Bat Conservation International. We became members and purchased tickets to view the bat flight through their website. I think you may also be able to purchase tickets at Natural Bridge Caverns. Either way, to meet up to view the flight, this is at Natural Bridge Caverns. Bring insect repellant and a good camera without a flash. This truly is a worth seeing. read more

Bracken Bat Cave - Bat emergence, May 2012 - Local Flavor Near Me - Garden Ridge, Texas

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Fantastic! Not only is it a great feeling to be a part of conserving nature and the truly unique bat colony we have here in Texas, but I can share that with a group with the same passion. It was a great experience for my family and I will be back as many times as I can. Thank you to all the volunteers, they were both kind and knowledgable. It was a mini-adventure and I didn't have to go spelunking in caves across the ocean - it's right here in Texas. You have to see it in person! Wow. read more

Bracken Bat Cave - Waiting for the rest of the group to head out & hopefully see a nice big cloud of bats. #Texas #Bats #BatConservationInternational - Local Flavor Near Me - Garden Ridge, Texas

As much as I have enjoyed this phenominal experience in the past ( we used to go yearly) but now the only way you can see this is if you purchase it as part of a 5 or 6 hour package with either the Natural Bridge Cavern tour ( which if you've seen it once thats more than plenty) or with the Natural Bridge Cavern Canopy tour which is inappropriate for the elderly or those with height anxiety or those with arthritis. So the enjoyment of seeing this for locals has gone. A big shame. If they bring back the opportunity to just watch the Bat Experience I would not only go at least once a year but would also be happy to re- review this. But with the only options offered these days I have to rate it poorly. What kind of Conservation efforts require expensive tickets to things not related to Bats? I live only a few miles from the cave so I will just enjoy the bats that fly over my house nightly. read more

The lady checking us in was the rudest! The man sure made up for it and we could tell he was trying to make her stop talking. The lady giving the educational briefing was also a little on the rude side. She seemed to lighten up as the evening went on. The BATS were amazing! What a sight! Made up for the know it all people who enjoyed being "large and in charge". Hopefully you get nicer hosts because this is a must see! read more

Awesome and unique experience! If you're ever in the San Antonio area, you owe it to yourself to check out the Bracken Bat Cave. Highlight of my trip to that particular city. More fun than the Alamo. You will def see hundreds, if not thousands, of bats take flight. The tour guide provided lots of interesting information, as well. read more

Unless you have a serious phobia of bats, you need to see this. It's an entirely different experience than the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin and it's not far from Austin (and definitely not far from San Antonio). In order to see it, you'll either want to buy summer tickets with Natural Bridge Caverns (limited; they already ended for the summer) or join Bat Conservation International, an Austin-based organization, and go on one of their member tours. It's a great organization that has done a lot to protect bat populations. While standing on the bridge in Austin gives you better views of the ribbons of bats trailing off into the distance, and a neat experience of them coming out from under your feet, Bracken cave is entirely different. Not only are there 20 million bats as opposed to 1 million but you are closer to them. There aren't really 20 times as many coming out at once because it just takes them a lot longer to come out than the bridge bats (several hours vs 45 minutes) but they do come out in denser numbers. They spiral up in a vortex out of the cave, similar to Carlsbad Caverns. The coolest thing is getting to be underneath them as they fly right over your head. They were flying away from us when we were there, so our tour guide took us to the opposite side (if they ask you if you want to go under the bats, DON'T HESITATE JUST DO IT). When you get underneath them, it's surreal. You are mere feet from them and you can hear the sound of their wings filling your ears. It's a very relaxing and pleasing noise. They flock like birds and they'll come in these waves right over you and the sound increases and fills your ears (like surround sound). You can see their tales, heads, bodies, fingers, everything, because you are that close to them. They also came out earlier than the bridge bats (bridge bats usually start just before sunset, these started 45 minutes before) so it made for better photography opportunities. Come prepared to take video! read more

This is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I have a membership for Bat Conservation. I can't wait to go again. This is something for the whole family to see. You will never forget it! read more

This is probably one of the coolest things I've done in Texas! It starts at Natural Bridge Caverns with an educational presentation then everyone gets in their cars and follows the guide to the cave which is just a few driveways from the caverns. The road to the cave is unpaved and a bit rough. It was very dusty when we went, and I could envision it getting equally muddy during rainy periods. The sheer number of bats is hard to imagine before one actually sees it. It's awe inspiring! Everyone should do this!!! read more

Other than having to plan several months out, this was a fantastic family outing! The volunteers were positive and helpful. We really enjoyed the informational talks, too. Then came the bats. Just one of those moments to check off your bucket list. Loved every minute! read more